


Horizon

by haeimecah



Category: Criminal Minds
Genre: Family, Gen, Hurt/Comfort
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-07-12
Updated: 2015-09-26
Packaged: 2018-04-08 22:08:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 12,062
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4322601
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/haeimecah/pseuds/haeimecah
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Being saved and rescued by his Behavioral Analysis Unit family was just the beginning. When Dr Spencer Reid woke from his nightmare, he found himself in another horrific one. But this time, it was not the pain he was afraid of, but rather, the lack of it.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: Well, hello! This is my first Criminal Minds fanfic. I am both excited and anxious about it. Well I hope this will not be another clichéd story for all of you and I hope you enjoy reading it.
> 
> P.S. I suck on first chapters. Every single fanfiction I have written has a sucky first chapter so I am sorry.

Chapter 1

He was running. As fast as he feet could. The pounding of feet against the pavement was the only thing he could hear. It was dawn. The first light of the day could be seen at the line where the sky met the earth. But he had no time to look at the sun he had not seen in a while. No time to take in the wondrous view. No time for anything besides running.

The blood sliding down his skin was ignored. His back that had been inflamed because of the beating he got with a steel rod did not even register in his head. All he knew was he needed to run, he needed to drag his battered body and abused mind away from the nightmare that he had faced for the past three days.

He ran.

But he was never fast enough.

He was tugged by his collar with a force so hard he was jerked back and slammed into the body of his captor. A muscled arm slid around his neck and another was wrapped tight around his chest, locking his arms at his sides.

"Where the hell you think you are going?" the words were whispered right next to his ear in a sing-song tune by a hoarse voice.

"Please…" he faintly begged in vain for the hundredth time while he was hauled back, his bare feet sometimes scrapped against the rough pavement, sometimes he lost his footing.

Crushed by those arms holding him, Spencer Reid let himself went limp as the little spirit he still had deflated. His chin dropped onto the forearm of his captor as he struggled to breathe. He was so tired and drained. With eyes that barely open and hazy, he tilted his head – for the first time willingly lean against his tormentor – and looked at the horizon, where the earth was outline by the ever rising sun. His honey brown eyes were glazed by the light. A weak smile he did not think he could manage formed on his lips.

Spencer Reid was already lost in the mercy of a dreamland when two SUVs and two police cars came from both sides of the road. He did not know he was used as a shield for Jason Summers, his captor, against the multitude of guns being pointed at him. He did not know how he sagged down to the pavement into a heap of limbs as the Unsub freed him from his death grip and surrendered with a bloodcurdling smirk on his face.

He was oblivious in that moment, and maybe it was for the better, because the nightmare had just started.

 

* * *

_"In order for the light to shine so brightly, the darkness must be present." – Francis Bacon_

* * *

 

Derek Morgan leaped forward as soon Reid's body hit the ground with a thud. He cuffed the Unsub harshly before passing the man to the local authority. He went back to his best friend, who was half on Hotch's lap by then. Rossi was on his knees next to them, calling for the medics. JJ and Emily were waiting at the precinct.

Morgan could feel tears pricked his eyes as he stared at Reid. Hotch was cradling the young man, whispering comforting words and apologies, with one arm holding him close in a comforting way, while his hand caressed Reid's hair.

Reid's hair.

Morgan was going to kill Jason Summers from the first day Reid was taken. But, seeing Reid now, he wanted to do more than just murder the man.

Just four days ago, Morgan had bothered Reid about his hair being too long, going over his shoulders. And now, all of those long, brown locks were almost gone. Reid's hair had been cut, chopped, possibly ripped by the sociopath. What was left was short, uneven hair that Morgan knew Reid would feel ashamed about. Even without saying it out loud, everyone on the team knew that Reid's hair was also his personal sort of defense mechanism. Somehow, the Unsub knew about this. Taking that away from the young man forcefully was like shredding away his shield, his refuge behind the curtains of his hair.

Such minor things, and suddenly it meant so much.

The EMT arrived then, and Morgan and Hotch personally lifted their youngest team member on the gurney and the unit chief hopped into the ambulance, quickly grabbing Reid's hand and held it tenderly. The two FBI Supervisory Special Agents left there stared as the medics took their friend further and further away from them. Only when the vehicle was out of side did Rossi and Morgan each took an SUV and drove them to the precinct to pick up Emily and JJ.

 

* * *

 

"Why are they not back yet?" JJ was getting frustrated and Emily was running out of idea on how to calm her. The brunette placed her hand on top of JJ's for the third time in the hour, patting it three times before taking it in and gripping it tight.

"JJ, they will be back soon. It's been an hour. They are going to walk in soon with our genius and everything will be fine," Emily was trying to reassure herself as much as she was trying to comfort the media liaison. They were both feeling anxious.

They had packed all of the crime scene photos and autopsy reports into a box while they were there and though they were all in the closed box, the pictures of all the dead victims had burnt in their head. And every autopsy report was tormenting them, all the information they had on how the victims were tortured been harassing their attempt to believe Reid would be fine.

Their attention was caught by two policemen bringing in their Unsub. As they passed by the table the women were sitting, Summers smirked again, and though she glared back, being a profiler, Emily knew that was a smug look of a won man, not a criminal that had lost.

"I had a good time with him. Thank you," Summers shouted from the other end of the room before he was shoved into the interrogation room.

Before the fume inside of JJ could boil over, Rossi walked into the precinct but stopped near the entrance. Without Reid. The two women hearts dropped but they got up and wasted no time before walking outside to the SUV which Morgan was waiting in. The ride to the hospital was eerily silent, none of them willing to say a word or ask question.

 

* * *

 

Hotch's head hung down, his hands clutched together between his knees, as he sat in the waiting area. He had just given permission for the surgeons to perform a needed surgery. Not long after that, the rest of the team except Garcia arrived. JJ quickly flung his side and stared at him with unshed tears, demanding an update about Reid. Hotch shook his head, "Nothing yet for now. They are about to perform a surgery because there are some nerves that are damaged."

And the silence fell over them once again. They sat there for hours, none of them wanted to go back to the hotel. None of them could close their eyes. Garcia arrived after the third hour passed, already in tears which contradicted her colorful outfit. Morgan held her as they continued to sit together in the chilling, fake calmness.

Another hour passed before the surgeon finally emerged from the operation theater and approached them, "Mr. Reid's?"

"Dr. Reid, actually," Garcia felt obligated to correct as she stood up quicker than the others.

"I am his Supervisor and am given the right to make medical decision when he cannot. You can speak in front all of us," Hotch said as he shook the surgeon's hand.

"Dr. Reid," the man nodded towards Garcia with a friendly tugged at the corner of his lips, "Is now stabilized. A gash on his head needed five stitches. He had a couple degrees of burns on his back and legs, both from being exposed to fire and what seemed to be an electronic prod of some sort. There were multiple cuts littering his face, arms and legs but they were mostly superficial." The surgeon's expression darkened considerably, "His back was the worst. Multiple range bruises littered his entire back. We ran an MRI and his spinal cord was injured critically. Some nerves were put under intense pressure, pressing the nerves down and disrupting the sense. The surgery we performed was to lose the pressure and some of the broken bones that compressed the nerve. The surgery was successful but please be prepared for any news."

"You said he is now stabilized and the surgery was successful," JJ said, confusion clear in her voice.

"Our nerve system is highly sensitive. Although our neurosurgeons have done their very best, we are afraid that the trauma Dr. Reid's nerves suffered may lead to other complications. But we cannot be sure until we can run some physical test when Dr. Reid wakes up. He is stabilized and his physical injuries will be fully recovered in three to four weeks."

It was silent for a moment as the team took it all in. It was Emily who asked, "Can we see him now?"

"Follow me," the team fell into step behind the doctor leading them, "He has yet to weak up and it may take up to another twenty-four hours before he does. All of you can go in at the same time though, I advise you to only have one or two of you with him overnight. The rest can look from outside or come back tomorrow."

Hotch said 'thank you' and shook the doctor's hand again before he followed the team filing into the room. Garcia had a hand over her mouth in a silent cry, JJ's eyes were impossibly large, Emily and Morgan's eyes were red and Rossi looked older than he really was as he stared at the young man on the bed. And Hotch closed his eyes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you liked it!


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am able to upload this quick because this has already been written before I posted the story. Next update will not be as quick as this. Happy Reading!

Chapter 2

After an hour, Hotch, JJ, Emily and Rossi left to interrogate Jason Summers. It was not easy to listen to the taunting of the sociopath as he admitted killing the victims they found and gladly enlightened them with how he tortured Reid. Although he knew he would be hearing this as they profiled the man as a narcissist, Aaron Hotchner rarely felt such pure hatred running through him. Summers was lucky because Rossi and Emily were the one in the room with him and not the unit chief.

Hotch let Garcia and Morgan stayed. Garcia because she would not leave Reid’s side unless anyone forcefully remove her from there, and Morgan because, Aaron knew, as soon as he saw Summers, he would not hesitate to crack his head before he got a chance to say a single word. Who would after seeing the condition Reid was in?

Bruises littered the young man’s body, burns, a split lip, the skin by the corner of his mouth was blue, there was gauze wrapped around his head because of a gash near his hairline. It scarred them worse than the one lying on the bed when they first saw him. His ever moving limbs, those hands that gracefully talked along with his words, it was unnerving to see them so lifeless. It was like seeing a puppet cut off from its strings.

When they got back to the hospital, they had cleaned up and everything was done. The head chief of the Quantico Police Department said thank you and most of the officers wished Reid would get well soon. The four agents managed half-hearted smiles back in return.

It was the next morning when they got back to the hospital, only went back to the hotel to have showers and change clothes. They brought breakfast, though they knew they would not touch it until it became necessary. When they entered, Morgan was wide awake, but judging by his red eyes he had not sleep for a minute. Garcia was by the bed, her hand holding Reid’s limp one tight. JJ joined her there while Hotch stood near the wall in front of the bed.

“Sleep, Morgan. He is not going anywhere,” Rossi said as he said on the couch next to the man.

“I’ll be sure he won’t.”

“Wonder how you can do that when you look half dead,” said Rossi matter-of-factly.

“Just do it, big guy,” Emily urged him too.

Morgan stared at them both and then at Reid before his tensed shoulders finally relaxed and his eyes closed as he leaned back.

Emily joined Hotch by the wall, leaning against it with her arms crossed on her chest, “What now?”

“We wait.”

It was all they did for the next couple hours. There were small talks and some left to get more coffee.

It was Emily’s hand who felt the twitch as she had switched with Garcia when JJ decided to take the bubbly technical analyst to freshen up a little. The cold hand in hers flexed and she let go out of surprised.

“No…” a soft groan and those in the room all became alert as Reid’s brows knotted. When she heard the cry of pain again, Emily immediately grasped his hand back and this time that long fingers gripped her tight.

Hotch came to the other side of the bed as Rossi and Morgan stood up.

Emily was standing as she leaned closed to Reid’s ear and brushed her unoccupied hand through his ragged hair, “Shhh… you can wake up now. Just open those eyes for me, Reid. That’s it. Slowly, slowly. Take your time.”

And Reid opened eyes, blinking profusely as they adjusted to the light, “Is-” his voice broke, so did the hearts of those in the room, “Is this real?”

Emily nodded enthusiastically with tears brimming in her eyes, “Welcome back, boy genius.”

 

* * *

_It’s love that makes the world go round – W. S. Gilbert_

* * *

 

“He will be fine. He just needs more rest and he can leave in a week, though work still has to wait for another two or three,” said the doctor before the team thanked him and he took his leave.

Garcia rushed into the room once the doctor walked out with the nurses. All the others saw was Reid being kissed all over his face by the eccentric woman.

“Are you alright, boy wonder? Where does it hurt? Do you need anything?”

Reid looked at her with his half-lidded eyes and a tiny side smile, “Everywhere hurts, Garcia.”

“Oh, I’m sorry, my baby. I’ll make it better I promise.”

“Then can I have Jell-O when I wake up?”

Garcia nodded eagerly, “Every flavor I can get my hands on.”

“Thank you, Garcia,” and then sleep took over his tired body again.

The team watched him as his eyes shut. Except for Garcia, they all felt something was not right with Reid.

Reid was acting normal. Acting.

He was not supposed to. Not after what had happened. They did not wish for him to go through the trauma, but they were afraid Reid would close up about the nightmare he had gone through, just like the Tobias Hankel case. They did not want Reid to handle things by himself again. But they also could not force him. So, once again, they waited.

 

* * *

 

The week flew by quickly. The team never left Reid alone. There would at least be one of them, with Garcia being a permanent resident in Reid’s room, with him at all times, even at night. No case was hand to them, giving the team more time being there for their youngest member though, they still had to go to the headquarters. They would talk and eat, just being there like a family.

On the fourth day, no longer confined to the bed at all times after the gauze around his head was off, Reid went to the small toilet in his room while Morgan waited outside the door and Garcia by the bed. Morgan heard the sharp intake of breath and followed almost immediately by the resounding thud. Fortunately, he had told Reid not to lock the door. So, he rammed it open, Garcia closed behind.

Reid was on the floor, his hands touching his hair. He could not stop neither the tears from his eyes nor the painful sobs leaving his mouth, “My hair…”

The sobs wrenched both Garcia and Morgan’s hearts, along with JJ and Emily who had just walked in. Garcia sobbed and cried as she wrapped Reid in her arms, letting him rest his head against her chest. Emily did not even bother to wipe away the lone tear going down her face.  
When Reid’s cries turned to soft hiccups, they guided him back to the bed.

“I’ll do something for it, alright?” JJ said, trying her best to smile, before she walked out and came back a couple of minutes later with a scissor and Garcia brought out a comb from her handbag. JJ sat behind Reid, first brushing the hair before starting to cut the jagged hair, trying to make them as even as possible. And then she moved to the front, still finding it hard to control her tears while she was trimming Reid’s hair because of how defeated the young man looked with his closed eyes.

She gave it a final brush and it did look good, though it will probably be the shortest hair the genius had had.

Garcia clapped JJ on her back, “That’s a great cut! I’ll give you some hair gel, boy wonder, and then we can style it up and it will look much better!”

“It looks really good, Reid. Do you want to look?” Emily asked.

Reid shook his head, “No. Thanks.”

“That’s okay,” JJ said as she enveloped him in a hug, rocking him slightly.

Morgan had called the nurse for a change of cover and they sat on the couch while waiting. As soon as the bed was once again ready, Reid got onto it and slept, not uttering a single word. He left them worried, afraid he would not talk for days.

But, he worried them more when he did talk the next day, like all the other time, as if nothing happened the day before. It shocked them, but they went on with it, not wanting to upset him.

Suddenly Wednesday came again, marking the full week since the close of the Jason Summers case. A week since Reid had been saved.

The whole team waited, and not once had the case been brought up. So, they continued to wait.

 

* * *

 

Morgan stayed with Reid on the first two nights he was back at his own apartment. Garcia had volunteered but, Reid adamantly said no to her and he wanted her to have time for herself again after spending so much time on him. He did agree that she could come whenever she wanted while not realizing she might come every minute of the day and would only leave when night comes.

The first morning, Morgan made coffee for the both of them.

“Here is yours, pretty boy. Black sugary water, your favorite,” he placed them on the coffee table in front of Reid.

“It is still coffee,” Reid said as he brought the mug to his lips and breathed the freshly brewed aromatic drink.

“I doubt it. Hey, hey! It’s h –” Morgan’s eyes widened as he watched his best friend drank the still scalding hot beverage with ease, “hot?”

When he had finished half of the content, Reid brought the mug down and placed it on the table, “No, it’s not.”

Morgan stared back and forth between Reid and the mug incredulously before picking up his own and took a sip, regretting the action as soon the drink touched his tongue. “Ah!” he yelped, almost spilling his coffee.

Reid laughed, but not too much as it hurt his ribs slightly.

“Oh shut up, man,” Morgan said, though he too had a small smile on his lips.

The team came often the first week he was back. JJ brought Henry when she came and Reid was so happy every time he could meet his godson. He smiled sadly when the boy said he missed his long hair, “I missed them too sometimes, Henry.”

Two days into the second week of being home, Reid was alone because the team was handling a case. He had nothing to do and did not like the silence of his house. Silence brought out awful thoughts.

On the third day, someone knocked his door and he was surprised to see Garcia.

“Hey, boy wonder. I came here to keep you company while we work on the case. Oh, and I also brought lunch,” Garcia said as she set up her laptops on the coffee table.

“Garcia, you know you don’t have to come,” said Reid as he sat next to her. In all actuality, he was glad to have her there.

“Aww but I want to. Plus you might be able to help the team. Now, let’s get to work, genius,” she pinched his cheek before turning back to her laptop. Her phone rank before Reid could say anything else, “Goddess of know-it-all, currently residence of Dr. Reid’s house, how may I assist you, chocolate thunder?”

“Baby girl, you’re at Reid’s apartment?”

“Yes, she is,” Reid laughed.

“Good. Because we need both of you geniuses with the case.”

“PG is ready to roll.”

 

* * *

 

It was Reid's first day officially back to work. He sat down his leather bag and was ready to head to the coffee machine when suddenly Hotch called him to his office. He looked at Morgan to ask why would Hotch be calling him but his friend did not look up from a report he was reading. Shrugging, Reid went up and knocked, entering when Hotch answered.

“Sit down, Reid,” Hotch gestured toward the chair in front of his desk.

“Do you need anything?” Reid asked as soon as he sat.

Hotch leaned back against his chair, “I actually want to talk to you about your counselling and psych evaluation.”

“I passed.”

“You can never fail any test, Reid, especially this one. You and I both know that.”

“Then?”

This time Hotch moved closer, “I want you to see a counselor. I will set one up for you if I have to.”

The defensive wall that erupted around Reid could almost be visible, “That is not up to you,” he said, his face void of any emotion.

“It is when it comes to your welfare. What happened to you –”

“What happened to me has happened and it does not affect my work in anyway. Excuse me,” Reid walked out – Hotch could even say he stomped – heading straight for the coffee machine. He grabbed a cup and thrown in a few spoonful of sugar before pouring the hot coffee into it. He did not want to talk about the case; despite he still needed to write a report on it. That was different. He knew it would not be good to keep being silent about it but he could still handle it. Hotch, or anyone on the team, could not force him to talk if he chose not to.

“Reid!”

The young man was startled when Morgan shouted his name and accidentally let go of his cup and coffee pot, breaking them, “What the –”

He was tugged to the sink and Morgan started rinsing his hand with the tap water, “Bring the first aid kit here, Prentiss.”

“Morgan, what –”

“What were you thinking, Reid?” Morgan sounded angry, “What was so distracting you that you don’t realize you overflowed your cup and kept pouring the coffee onto your hand?”

Hearing his friend shout, Reid finally looked at his hand and it was red. His eyes widened and he then stared at his best friend, his lips trembling, “I didn’t feel it.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And this is where it starts to get interesting /grin/


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Instead of writing the dialogues, I prefer writing descriptions. Dialogue is a bit hard for me as I worry it will not sound realistic for them to talk in such a way.

Emily placed a hydrogel sheet on the scalded area of Reid’s skin, after the young man’s knees went weak and would have dropped to the floor if Morgan was not holding him. Reid was silent for a very long time, and it was unnerving his two teammates. Morgan shared a look with Emily, both not knowing what to do nor say.

“Reid?” Emily leaned closer with worry edge on her face. That was when she realized Reid was talking, but to himself.

“… could be multiple reasons why someone could lose their sense of touch, permanent or temporary. It ranges from B12 deficiency to poisoning of neurotoxins to severe trauma to the spinal cord. 30% of the occurrence of the condition could not be explained and considered as ‘idiopathic’. Approximately, 8% of the U.S. population has a neuropathic condition, commonly caused by diabetes. In fact, according to the U.S. government statistics, 60 and 70% people with diabetes suffers-”

Emily grabbed both of the genius hands in hers, “Reid, please stop. You’re torturing yourself,” she already had tears in her eyes just listening to her friend rattling of statistics about his condition. Morgan wiped his face, feeling drained.

“The only pain I can feel right now is in my heart, Emily. And that’s not good,” the soft reply came with trembling voice. Reid shook his head, his eyes finally blinking and shined with the tears he held in, “It’s not good,” his voice faded into a helpless sigh, staring at his hands squeezed by the jet black hair woman in front of him. He felt Morgan’s hand on his shoulder.

“We’ll go see a neurologist. Let’s go.”

“Wherever you are planning to go will have to wait. We have a case,” JJ said as she walked fast pass them, heading to Hotch’s office. She failed to notice the distress in the air, too absorbed in reading the case file.

Reid stood hurriedly, surprising both Morgan and Emily, “No one tells Hotch,” he stared back and forth between them.

“But Reid, he needs to know so he can excuse you to go see the doctor,” Morgan argued.

Reid turned to look solely at Morgan, “I don’t want to be excused. He does not need to know and I will go see the neurologist after the case is close,” seeing as Morgan was still contemplating, Reid pleaded, “Please, Morgan.” He knew he had won when Morgan sighed.

Emily wrapped her arm around Reid’s shoulder and walked with him up the stairs and toward the round table, Morgan falling into steps behind them. For now, they would let it be, but they would keep an eye on their youngest family member at all times. They both agreed on that as they shared a silent nod.

“New Orleans. Four male students found dead at local parks all over the city in the last eight days,” JJ explained as photos of men from different ethnics appeared on the screen, taken from their student IDs. And then in a split second the photos changed to them lying down on benches at different parks. They appeared to be sleeping, but the profilers knew better.

 

* * *

  _What happened in the past that was painful has a great deal to do with what we are today_

_–William Glasser_

* * *

 

 

The flight was quiet, for most of it. Emily sat next to Reid while Morgan sat in front of them. Once again Reid was not saying a word, leafing through the case file again and again or else he would look out the windowpane. The only time he had said a word was to refuse coffee when JJ offered to make him one.

As usual, before they land, the whole team went through the information they have on the case again.

“They all look as if they were sleeping,” Rossi commented as he stared at the photos of the crime scenes again.

“Cause of death?” asked Morgan.

“Beaten to it or punctured lungs, they all have at least eight to nine broken ribs,” Reid answered, already had the autopsies plastered in his mind.

“It’s weird. Such brutality when killing but then showed drastic care when disposing them. Maybe we’re looking for two unsubs,” Emily joined in.

“Could be remorse,” Rossi chipped in.

JJ nodded, “Well, whatever it is, the unsub is escalating. From two victims in five days, two more of the victims only happened with one day between them.”

“So we need to work quickly. Rossi and Emily, visit the first and last dumpsites. JJ and Morgan, get Garcia to send you the list of colleges went by the victims and talk to their friends and the person in charge of the dorm. Learn their routines and schedule to see if there is a clash in time. Reid and I will set up at the station.”

They hit the ground running, SUVs waiting for them. After the formal introduction and being led into a room they could work in, Hotch and Reid started pinning up the photos, information and the map of New Orleans for the geographical profile. They worked quietly. At one point, Reid accidentally pierced his own finger, but did not seem to realize it. Hotch did not too until he saw a smear of blood when he stepped to look at the photos. The unit chief looked at Reid who was pinning the last corner of the city map.

“Show me your hand,” Hotch asked without his superior demeanor.

“What?” Reid looked back at him with a look of pure confusion.

“Let me see your hand,” Hotch held his own hand with his palm up. Reid hesitantly placed his burnt hand in it. Hotch looked at the blotchy skin that had blisters before turning the hand over and looked at Reid’s thumb which was covered with blood, “Be careful. Go wash it and I’ll get a band aid from the station’s emergency kit.”

Reid stuttered out an ‘okay’ before he walked out of the room, Hotch eyed him as he walked while frowning at his hand.

When the genius got to the washroom, he was lucky as it was empty. He locked the door, leaning against it for a moment before walking over to the sink. He washed the blood off and then he rubbed his face with his wet hands before he looked at his own reflection. A pale face was what he saw; with his hair looked almost shaved at the side and the top styled up though less than an inch – courtesy of one Penelope Garcia – and dull eyes stared back at him. “I couldn’t feel the prick of the skin; I couldn’t even know I hurt myself,” he snorted at himself, “So much for being less conspicuous.” He shut his eyes, bracing himself on the sink.

His thoughts ran wild as tears of frustration found their way out of him. He had told Hotch that very morning that what had happened would not affect him. But it seemed like everything will be affected. His sense, his response, his mind. It would not be the same. It was not enough that he could never forget his ordeal with Jason Summers, which he still had nightmares about. He still needed to suffer with the prolonged torture in the form of neuropathy. Instead of forgetting the pain he had felt, here he was, unable to feel any sort of touch sensation anymore. The pain he felt under the hands of Summers was the last kind of extreme sensation his mind remember.

Reid let out a deep, pain sigh. He washed his face once again before wiping them and then heading back to the room where Hotch was waiting.

The unit chief helped placing the band aid and Reid was grateful when he did not bring up the issue of the young man using the washroom longer than necessary.

“Thank you,” Reid said, getting up from the seat and starting on the map.

“Reid.”

“Hm?”

“I know you don’t like me interfering with your personal life, and I know you despised it when I asked you to see the counsellor. I’m just concerned,” Hotch was still sitting and he looked up at Reid.

Reid swallowed the invisible lump choking him in his throat, “I’m fine.”

Hotch nodded, “I just want to be sure you really are. I don’t want you to be bothered, by anything. If something is bothering your head, and you are still not ready to talk to a therapist, you can talk to me.”

As Reid looked down at his superior, he could feel the genuine worry coming from him and he found himself nodding and a sincere smile tugged on his lips. He made a silent promise to find Hotch when it all becomes unbearable.

Three days there and with a complete profile, the BAU managed to track down the unsub.

Douglas Thaw, 32, once a student at the college where victim number one went to, was the son of a police officer and he was sent to a military boarding school in his second year at college. He hated his father for pulling him out of the course to his dream of becoming an artist. His father death was his trigger. The victims all had fathers who worked as police officer all over the state, all in their second year.

Thaw first instinct was to protect them from getting the same fate as him, in his own sick way, which was killing them. After a drug was found in the screen test of the seventh and last victim, another screen test was done for all the others. The same kind of drug was found in each of them and the drug sufficed as diluting the pain. The beatings were his way of letting out his uncontrollable rage, thus, his method of killing. He laying them as if they were sleeping was the sign of him regretting what he had done and wishing they would die in peace.

Now, they were getting ready to catch him as he showed no sign of stopping and the agents were afraid he would attack the primary target of his anger; the police officers.

“JJ and Reid stay here while the rest will come for the takedown,” Hotch ordered with no room for arguments and none did.

When the team arrived at Thaw’s hideout, they cleared the place and the man was nowhere to be found. He knew they were coming, they profiled from the messed up condition of the place.

“He is not going to give up,” Rossi said as they gathered to figure out the next move.

“What if for his endgame, he does exactly what we expect him to do?” Emile asked, dread sipping into her.

“Which is the closes police station from here?”

Morgan already started running toward the SUV before Rossi finished the question, “The station we are working for!”

Panicked seized all of them.

 

JJ and Reid had piled up all the files, photos, autopsies and map. Reid carried a box to the front desk, returning those that were for the police record. He smiled at the woman there but then frowned when her eyes went huge as she stared pass his shoulder. Not thinking much before it, Reid turned to see what it was. Before he could see anything though, he found himself knocked down to the ground.

“Spence!” he heard JJ scream.

The youngest member of the BAU stayed down, pretending to have fainted. All Reid could see from the ground was a bat and military shoes – the shoes that left the print on few of the victims and led to the unsub’s background. Before Thaw swung his right hand up, Reid was almost sure he saw him holding a Glock 17 with a silencer. He heard the man taunted the officers, admitting what he had had done and what he was about to do to them.

Slowly, Reid’s hand crept out to take his revolver. He angled his head so he could see where the criminal’s hand was. He was planning to shoot his arm, forcing him to let go of the Glock. Just as he was about to aim, he saw familiar shoes running toward the entrance where the previously unknown subject stood. Making an immediate calculation as fast as he could, Reid took one second to aim before he shot right at the joint.

Thaw yelped as Reid scrambled to kick the gun away as he stood. Morgan jumped on the suspect and cuffed him.

“Spence!” Reid suddenly found himself embraced by JJ and then the others came by his sides, “Are you okay?”

“Yes. I’m fine, JJ,” he tried reassuring her with a smile.

“Oh, I don’t know, kid. That blood tells a different story,” Rossi said.

“Blood?”

“He bashed you really hard, Spence, and you didn’t even scream.”

“W-wait…” Reid brought his hand up to his forehead and touched a sticky part at his temple. When he saw blood on his fingers, it was only then that he started feeling lightheaded, not from the pain but from the trauma itself. Hotch was the one who caught him and lowered him down when his eyes fell shut.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do not want to go to in depth into every case that will appear in this fic, unless it is vital. It will drag the story to an unnecessary length. I hate draggy chapter as it will easily bore both the writer and readers out. By the way, I came out with this case and I hope it made sense ha ha ha


	4. Chapter 4

Reid felt his hand being held and for a moment a tiny spark appeared in his heart, before he realized there was no heat in the touch. He fought back tears before he finally opened his eyes for the others to see he was awake.

JJ was the one holding his hand and she offered a smile at him, though tears threatened to slip from her red eyes, “Hi, Spence.” Reid gave a small tug of a smile at the corner of his lips and JJ’s smile faltered, “Why didn’t you tell me? Why didn’t you mention that something was wrong?”

“Is wrong,” said Reid, to himself mostly. He stared at the light blue cover he had on him and absentmindedly played with its hem.

“Spence, something could have happened back at the precinct, something worse.”

With a voice anyone could barely hear, Reid said, “Can it get any worse, JJ?” His voice broke right when he mentioned her name.

The blonde stared as Reid sat up, gripping his hand with both of hers.

Hotch walked in then along with the doctor in tow and he made sure, when Reid looked at his eyes, he got the message that they were going to have a talk.

“Dr. Reid.”

The young man acknowledged the greeting with a small nod.

“I’m Dr. Watson and I’ve been informed of your condition. You’ve been sleeping all true the night. That's good. About the head injury, it’s just a cut but you may have a concussion later on. It was hard for you to focus when a physician was checking on you but with proper rest, it might not get worse,” the early forty doctor waited for any reaction but was not surprised with the lack of it.

“About your loss of sense,” Reid visibly went stiff and he finally looked at her, “We will need to run a test to see how severe it is and to diagnose it properly. I want to use nerve conduction study to record the electrical activity of your nerves. Are you okay with that?”

Without thinking it thoroughly, Reid nodded, “Yes, I’m okay with that. Just-just do what it is that you need to do. I’ll do it all. Even now,” he talked fast, desperation taking over him.

“Okay. I’ll send a nurse to bring you the consent form for you to sign in a moment. Rest in the next couple of hours and I will get everything set up by then,” she smiled and left after that.

“Spence,” JJ called to gain the young man’s attention, “Why does it need for you to sign a consent form?”

“Because it uses electric impulses being send to stimulate the nerves,” said Reid, sliding back down on the bed and lying on his side, facing JJ with half-lidded eyes.

Hotch and JJ shared a look of concern. They both had seen the desperation in Reid’s eyes when he agreed to do the test, but, for those who cared to look closer, they saw apprehension in him. Reid was hiding something again.

 

* * *

**_“And yet to every bad, there’s always a worse.” -  Tom Hardy_ **

* * *

 

After signing the consent form, Reid slept, though with difficulty. Two hours fled by fast and the time for the test came. A nurse came to lead Reid to the examination room. The team all walked behind him, making he felt overwhelmed and like a teen in trouble. After walking past several hallways, the team was asked to wait outside the room while Reid was led in.

They did not understand why, but they were all feeling anxious about something, about Reid. They had been told the test had been proven safe countless times, but the feeling of dread would not leave their chests every time they stole a glance at Reid’s face. They were forgetting something vital, an important detail. They knew that, whatever it was, Reid knew.

Inside the room, Reid sat on the examination table and a nurse was strapping the recording electrodes on him. He tried to distract himself from a certain memory, a memory of pain. He shut his eyes tightly and emptying his ever full mind. But he could not get away. He could not.

Suddenly he was back inside a room that was too bright. The room was made entirely of white tiles and he sat at the very middle of it. His head hung limp, chin on his chest, a drip of saliva slipping down them. The only reason he was still sitting upright was because of the rope that tied him to the chair.

“Time to wake up, Dr. Reid,” a hoarse voice said in a sing-song tune.

Then a scream ripped through the air as Reid convulsed on the chair, his entire body went rigid, his veins showing on his skin.

Reid opened his eyes then, tugged all the electrodes off him, “I’m sorry,” he said breathlessly and ran out the door, stopping for a second to look at his team. A dry sob involuntarily left him before he took off again.

What Reid did not know though was a scream in his memory, was an actual he let out in the present time. The blood-curdling scream was heard by at least everyone in the hallway.

Garcia was speechless and her mouth gaped as she stared at the path Reid had taken. The whole team was in stupor and they looked at each other, making a connection and then it dawned on them. Except for the technical analyst, the agents ran, splitting to cover two ways.

Dr. Watson stepped out of the room, looking shocked and shaken, “I am very sorry,” she said to Garcia, “I didn’t know what happened. The electrodes weren’t even plugged in yet.”

Garcia shook her head, “It’s not you. It’s something else.” Then she walked away from the doctor, slowly and with a face still stricken with shock.

 

One hour gone but no one could find Reid. They searched up and down the building but still, no trace of him. The BAU stayed in his room, not knowing what else to do. The guards were still looking for their missing patient.

Morgan slammed his back to the wall, “How could we have forgotten what had happened? How could we just forget the detail of his ordeal with Summers? How could I let that happen?”

“You cannot blame yourself on this,” JJ said.

“But I should have known.”

“There was no way for you to know it traumatized him to that point. We knew what happened, but we did not know how much it affected him,” Hotch interjected.

Rossi nodded, “Hotch’s right. The kid did not let us in and we did not forcefully insert ourselves in. The damage is done. Repair it.”

“Just find him,” Garcia begged, clutching the blue cover that she had covered Reid with earlier that morning.

Once again, they started their search going different ways. JJ and Emily went right, Rossi took the left, Morgan went upstairs and Hotch went down.

The unit chief took it slow this time. He walked around the entire second floor until he found the staircase again and went down to the ground floor. Staircases would be one of the quiet places in a hospital as most use the elevator. So, it was no wonder when Hotch heard soft snores as he stepped down the last few steps. He looked around in front of him, searching for it. When he took a peek, he saw there was a space below the stairs, but it was barely lit.

Because of the lack of light, Hotch was positive he would not find the youngest member of his team there. But, with a gut feeling, he still went closer and crouched down. He was so shocked to see that it was indeed Reid, sleeping against the opposite wall in a position that would definitely give him a sore at his neck.

Hotch sighed softly, grateful he had found the young man. He texted the team, letting them know he found him and would bring him up soon. He scooted closer and sat up next to Reid, slowly placing Reid’s head on his shoulder. Hotch thought it must be the concussion making the genius sleep so easily no matter in what position.

Half an hour passed and after the third time Garcia texted him demanding where were they, he put his in silent and chose to ignore every vibration. He felt Reid stirred and lifted his head from the unit chief’s shoulder. It took a while for the young man to fully focus on his surroundings.

“Hotch?”

“I figured you need the rest after the Usain bolt run you did.”

Reid bowed his head, “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be.” It was quiet a moment after that, both not knowing what to say. Hotch then asked, “Why did you choose here to hide? It’s dark. You don’t like the dark.”

Hotch could see the wheels of uncertainty reeling inside Reid’s head, the young man was unsure whether to tell him or not. Hotch patiently wait, leaving it all to him to decide.

“I hate bright lit up rooms now.”

“Because of what happened with Summers?”

Reid nodded.

The unit chief was shocked enough when Reid told him he hated bright rooms. To see him cowering into the dark was unnerving because he knew how much the agent was afraid of the dark. He ran from what used to soothe him to something that scared him his entire life. How could he find the line the thin line between the light and the dark?

“Is it unbearable?” Hotch asked.

The genius shrugged, “I don’t know. It is the first time I’m experiencing a distaste for the light. I never felt like this before. It never scares me before. Really, Hotch. I was fine,” his talk became a quicker and quicker by each word.

“Now you’re not, Reid. I’m sorry,” Hotch scooted closer, “But that’s okay. I will help, the whole team, the ones who care, we will all help. I offered you a chance to talk to me and that offer is still on the table, it will always be on the table. If you need a professional help and you want me to go with you to the counsellor, I’ll go. Or if I couldn’t, the others are more than willing to be there for you. But let us in, that is all we ask from you.”

It took another moment, before Reid nodded and Hotch enveloped him with his arms, running his hand on the back of the young man’s head while he cried, letting every wall of defence down, and letting his heart and mind have a rest from the entire load they carried.  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is shorter than usual, I know. Hope it's good enough though. And if it's already Monday at your place, then it means it is my birthday! Officially 16. But meh, nothing changed.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so sorry for being MIA for two months. I was stuck and could never find a time where I could just sit and type the whole chapter done. I know it’s not a plausible excuse but forgive me. I typed like two paragraphs a day because I just couldn’t concentrate. There were so many distractions. Anyway, this is twice as much as the usual chapter. 4000+ words just to make it all up to all of you. I’m sorry, and I hope all of you will keep reading. The plot is about to be thickened.

Chapter 5

Hotch managed to bring Reid back to his room where Garcia fuzzed over him, getting him into bed and making sure he was comfortable enough. Reid’s only respond to her was a small but grateful smile accompanied by a soft ‘Thank you’. No one mentioned about the incident that occurred earlier. There was no need to. They all understood why it happened, no recalling wanted, no explanation needed.

“The doctor said they’ll prepare an electromyography for you. No currents. Just to monitor your nerves,” Rossi said, sitting on the one chair closest to the bed, “I told them yes but not today on your behalf. Said I am your favorite uncle and I know what’s best for you.”

Reid snorted with a tiny grin, “They believed you?”

“Slightly sceptical but they didn’t dare to question much.”

“Maybe if you had said ‘grandad’ they would be more convinced.”

Rossi ruffled his hair, “Haha, kid.”

“I don’t know, Rossi. I think I agree with him,” Morgan chirped in, making the situation even lighter, “Maybe it’s the goatee.”

“No, Rossi, ignore him. You look extremely cute with it, like this one old man I love at one of the old folk’s home I visit,” Garcia cooed.

“Thank you, but no thank you, Garcia.”

Reid allowed the friendly banter to go on without him, a ghost of a smile still lingering on his lips. He looked at the floor next to his bed, rays of the evening coloring it orange through the half closed window. He let out a silent, relief breath before realizing his eyes were once again drooping even though he had taken a nap barely an hour ago, despite it being in an uncomfortable position.

He turned back toward his friends with almost blurry eyes, JJ was lightly caressing his hair and only then he realized the room had gone quiet once again but in a soothing atmosphere. He looked at each one of those around his bed, blinking profusely, from JJ at his most left to Garcia who held his right hand. The last person he saw was Hotch, who leaned against the far wall right opposite to the bed since they were back to the room. Except, Reid saw, he was the one who lowered down the curtains while Garcia took Reid to the bed, making the room dimmer. The genius’ lips twitch the slightest bit more upwards before he finally let his fatigue consumed him.

“What did you tell him?” Morgan asked Hotch, though his eyes did not leave Reid.

“I told him we’ll always help him, and that he only needed to let us in.”

Emily sighed, “Will he?” she asked rhetorically. She went to sit at the couch, Morgan following her.

Garcia looked at Hotch, “Where did you find him, sir?”

“Under the stairs of the ground floor.”

Garcia’s mouth opened and closed a few times before she said with her eyes trained hard on Hotch, “But it’s dark there.”

Hotch nodded, “It is. But he preferred it.” What came next were hearts breaking soundlessly inside all of them as Hotch explained, and some did not even dare to look at the occupant of the bed.

 

* * *

**_Bring the past only if you’re going to build from it – Doménico Cieri Estrada_ **

* * *

****

 The rain started lightly, just occasionally grazing the window of the room almost all the BAU team was in. It turned heavier in minutes, but none of the room’s slumbering occupants woke up. It had just past midnight and they all needed the rest.

But, it only took the strike of one lightning to jolt Reid up, a harsh gasp tearing out of him as his eyes opened to their widest and his mouth remained wide in a silent scream. For the one moment when the thunder cracked, a stroke of pain coursed through his entire body, making tears sprung to his eyes in microseconds. It was over in a half second, but the pain left him gasping and choked. He froze on the bed, the tears leaking from the corners of his eyes down to the pillow. No words could leave him, and the only sound he could manage was strangled sobs.

Rossi, still the one occupying the chair next to the bed, heard him and woke up. At first he could not decipher what the sound was nor where was the source. But Reid’s hand reached out for his and gripped tight. Rossi stood up quickly; feeling a little dazed but ignored the sensation. Instead he focused on Reid, gripping the young man’s hand back and ran his other hand over his hair, wiping the perspiration forming on Reid’s forehead, “Breathe, Reid, slowly. In and out, in and out.” Rossi leaned down to kiss his hair, hoping in any way that he could calm the genius down and made sure he knew he was not alone.

It took a couple minutes before the panic went down and Reid’s erratic heartbeats started slowing to a less worrying rate. The genius’ eyes were clouded and his mouth was partially opened, hot breath slipping between them.

Rossi released his own relieve breath when Reid’s eyes closed and his breathing labored. He sat back down and scooted closer to the bed, grasping the young man’s hand back while wiping his own face with a handkerchief.

About 10 minutes later, the door slid open and Rossi looked at Hotch walked in with coffee in hand.

“I thought you were sleeping,” Hotch said with a voice slightly higher than a whisper, taking a stool to sit next to Rossi.

With a worn out smile, Rossi looked at Reid again and patted the hand in his, “Something or maybe someone woke me up.”

“He woke up?”

“More like he jolted up. I was startled awake and then his hand gripped mine so tight and the first thing I saw was his horror-stricken face. It was worse than any nightmare.”

Hotch frowned, “But what caused him to react that way? What did he see?”

Rossi sighed, “I’m not sure. But I don’t think it was what he saw. Rather it was what he-“

“Felt. I felt something.”

Hotch and Rossi both looked at Reid as he opened his eyes and sent a tiny smile to Rossi as a sign of gratitude. The young man sat up slightly, letting his back rest on the pillow. A bitter laugh left his mouth.

“I know how unlikely that is. But I think I know why,” Reid licked his dry lips, “There was a lightning and that caused it. Neuropathy condition varies like this. In the circumstance where someone has a high tolerance of pain, the nerves might be tricked to send a false impulse to the brain when it is raining or lightning strike.”

“Like when an old man has a bad knee?” Rossi asked.

Reid nodded, “Exactly like that.”

Hotch, not knowing how but still want to give a support for Reid, placed his hand on the genius’ leg.

Reid looked at the hand with a sad smile and cleared his throat before saying, “I want to get out of here. I want to get back to work right away. As of now my condition cannot be helped and the doctor’s only suggestion will only be to take painkillers or opioids when the circumstantial pain comes. I won’t take either of that and you both know why.”

“But I still think it’s better to be checked, Reid,” Hotch said.

“There won’t be any use of that and I don’t need nor want to be told about what I already know is wrong with me,” Reid sighed and Hotch lost all the will to argue when he saw the worn out face that made the young man looked older than he really was.

The unit chief nodded, “Alright. We’ll check you out early morning.”

“Thanks, Hotch.”

“I think you should try getting back to sleep if you want to look good enough to leave, kid,” said Rossi who also noticed the exhaustion on Reid’s face, “The rain seem to be stopping.”

Reid slid back down on the bed and laid his head on the pillow, “Just talk to me, can you? I don’t think I can fall asleep through the silence.”

The three of them talked about an unsolved case that Rossi brought up. Nearly an hour after that, Hotch realized he had been talking to himself for at least 5 minutes when he saw both Reid and Rossi had fallen asleep. He drank his cold coffee as he stared at a drop of rain sliding down the window.

Outside, under a tree, a hooded figure was staring up at the same window. A blood-curdling smirk lingered on the figure’s shadowed face, “I miss you, dearest Dr. Reid. I miss hearing you scream,” no one heard the maniacal laugh in the damp night.

 

* * *

 

It was almost back to usual the next day. Almost. The team flew back to Quantico that morning after checking Reid out despite the doctor’s approval.  The flight was quiet and Reid slept on the long couch, knowing if his eyes were open, there would have been another six sets of eyes stealing glances at him. Plus, the concussion he had was not gone yet. When the plane had landed, Reid said, “Thank you,” to Morgan who grabbed the genius’s bag before he could.

“Anytime, pretty boy,” Morgan winked at him and they walked together with the girls flanking their sides. Before they got inside, Hotch stopped them.

“Morgan, take Reid home.”

Reid sighed exasperatedly, “I don’t want to go home, Hotch. I’m cleared to work.”

“You are cleared because I demanded so and only on paper,” Hotch retaliated in his chief tone, already guessed the young man would disobey him.

“If it’s on paper, then it is more right than your words,” Reid grabbed the handle of the glass door.

“If you open that door, you cannot come in to work for the whole week and I can get a paper on that.”

Reid stared deep in his eyes and Hotch stared back, daring him. Reid turned the handle while still staring unblinkingly at him. Then, Garcia, noticing the intense atmosphere, looped her arm around Reid’s and gently tugged his hand off the handle, “Let’s go, boy genius,” and they walked away but Reid’s eyes were still looking at Hotch’s until he had turned. Morgan followed them.

Emily clapped Hotch’s shoulder and hissed to lighten the mood, “You didn’t have to be that harsh, boss man.”

“Na, I think that was necessary. You know how stubborn Reid can be sometimes,” JJ said as she opened the door and went in, followed by the others.

Morgan parked in front of the entrance of Reid’s house, “We’re here.”

“Do you want me to come inside for a while?” Garcia offered.

“Thanks,” Reid shook his head and hopped off, taking long strides toward his apartment. The two left in the car stared after him until his silhouette could not be seen.

Garcia sighed and asked, “He’ll be fine, right?” Morgan nodded and drove away.

Reid went straight to the bathroom and faced the mirror by the sink. He took off his sweater vest ad let it fell to the floor. Then he stared at himself, at his frown, at his tired eyes. He wondered why he had even argued with Hotch when he himself felt tipsy. But being aggressive was so much easier than being helpless.

His eyes stared at the bandage on his forehead and he ripped it, his heart sinking when the sting that usually accompanied the action did not come. He threw the bandage into the sink carelessly and exited the bathroom, choosing to lie on his couch rather than his more comfortable bed. He slept and hoped the day just end.

 

* * *

 

The BAU did not get another case until Friday, which was two days after Reid went home, disgruntled. The case took them to Las Vegas, and Reid was not sure if that made him felt better or worse. He was going to be in city and he knew he should visit his mom.

“Let’s go over again,” Hotch called the others to gather around, specifically Reid who sat crossed-leg on the long couch and was staring blankly out the window pane. The young man slid to the other end of the couch.

It was a case on teens, age span from fifteen to eighteen. Three girls were found murdered with a gap of eight days between each of them. It was three days after the third body was found. The BAU did not get called in earlier as the three murders – all different methods - could not be link until the police figured out the girls were runaways from home. Another constant they found was all the girls visited cyber cafés days before they were murdered.

So the team got to work with their assigned task. Rossi and Morgan went to talk to the parents, Emily and Reid went to the cyber cafés, and JJ and Hotch went to set up at the station.

Emily opened the tinted glass door of the first café and Reid followed her.

“Ugh! This sort of place is always so dark. It’s as if the light sources are only the blinding screen computers,” Emily groaned.

“Yeah,” Reid retorted, “That’s the manager, I think,” he pointed to a guy who just came out of what seemed to be the office, a thin white t-shirt stretched on top of his flabby belly with an unbutton shirt on top.

Emily, who seemed to want to whole her breath, took out her FBI credential before the agents moved to talk to the manager. The watch video recorded by surveillance camera from six days ago, looking at the third victim, Rebecca Grande. There were a few men who talked to her, but at a place as dark as the café, everyone looked like a potential suspect. Even the manager looked like he could have done it.

The two agents moved on to the next café. The inside was pretty much the same, only it seemed the blurred glass separating the computers gave the customers a bit more privacy. The manager brought them into a much better lit room that had the bright sun poured in.

While the manager search for the footage of the first victim way back to a month ago, Emily and Reid surveyed the room. Emily took interest at the graphics on the wall while Reid found a sketch book that had more graphics hand-drawn in them. He liked them, though they were gory. There were four detail sketches, each had woman caged up in different types of prison. One was locked in a cage at sea, one was on a high-mountain, in a cage made of ice, another was buried underground, and one was surrounded by fire. Each had a man, drawn from the angle only behind his head looking up at the woman, who seemed to be the savior.

“You like them?” the manager suddenly asked him.

“Oh? Oh yeah. They’re very well detailed. Is it for a game?”

The manager gave a charming smile and got excited, “Yes, it is for a game I am working on. I am a game editor too.”

Reid placed back the sketch book on the table and gave a half-hearted smile, “They’re good.”

“Can we see the video now?” Emily asked.

After they were done there, they went to the furthest cyber café, which was weird because the other two were much closer. The manager was very not friendly, and was eager to send the FBI agents out his door.

When they got to the station, Rossi and Morgan were already there first.

“Same as the information we had, the moms received a call right before the kill and each time, they didn’t picked up because their phones were on silent or they left their phones,” Morgan told them.

“Emily?” Hotch called.

The jet-black hair woman shrugged, “Yes, the victims were there at the cyber cafes. The problem is all those that interact with them could be our unsub. So, it wasn’t much help, except if you want to get all those into the list of possible unsub and we can go from there.”

“Reid, start on the geographical profile.”

“On it.”

They were all they had to go on with for the next three days; the victimology and the geographical profile. They visited the crime scenes again and the cyber cafés. They also went to the places the runaways always go to for shelter.

“We need to rethink again,” Hotch said, “There’s only three days left before another body shows up if the unsub follows the timeline.”

“All of these murders are different. The unsub don’t even have a signature. Except for them being homeless and teens, there is basically nothing in common. Different hair colors, different builds,” Emily listed down, frustrated that they were getting nowhere with the case.

“First victim was found drown near the sea, second was in a cage buried underground, and the third was in an iced storage,” Reid recalled.

Morgan braced himself by the table with his arms, “He does have a signature.”

“Share it,” Rossi said.

“In each murder, he did not directly kill his victim. He did not touch them.”

Emily nodded, “As if to say he did not kill them.”

“Yes.”

“Why? Loathe?” Hotch joined in.

Morgan shrugged, “Most likely.”

“We need to rethink our victimology to figure it out,” Rossi suggested as he stared at the picture of the victims.

JJ asked, “Then, why these girls? There is no evidence of physical and sexual assaults. So we can rule pedophiles out.”

“They are easy targets, runaways. Practically, no good people pay attention to them. Not to mention they ran away at least a couple months ago and with families living so close by. Obviously, their parents did not care enough to ask them to come back,” Morgan threw in his thoughts while he sipped the last drop of his coffee.

“No one care. So, he chose them because no one will come looking?” JJ asked skeptically.

Suddenly, Reid flexed his fingers and he stared blankly at the table before looking at the picture of the victims again, a clear sign the wheels were turning in his head.

“What is it, Reid?” Hotch probed him.

Reid licked his dried lips, “What if instead of trying to keep them in, the unsub try to bring them out?”

JJ crossed her arms, concentrating, “Means?”

“Well, no one cared about them, not even their families. No one pays attention. But these murders, they make people look closer to these girls. Like the unsub did, like he take good cares of them.”

“So it’s not loathing that makes the unsub not touch him,” Rossi kept the wheels turning.

Reid looked at him and the rest, “It’s affection.”

They delivered the profile after that, placing the unsub between the age of twenty-five to forty because of the place he looked for his victims. They profiled him as good-looking as he managed to lull young girls to follow him. After finished giving the profile, they regroup again in the room for them.

“We still don’t have a solid suspect,” said Emily.

Suddenly, Morgan phone rang, “You’re on speaker, baby girl.”

“Hello, furry friends. All of you are going to love me. Ask me why.”

“Why, Garcia?” Rossi humored the bubbly technical analyst.

“Because I found a guy, hooded in a black jacket, who appeared at the cafés every night one of our victims was in.”

“How do you know they’re the same guy?” asked JJ.

“Because boy wonder is not your only genius. This guy always brings a sketch book with him. He did not exactly interact with the victims, but he sat by with this book he seemed to be drawing in. Sometimes he looked up but not much. Looks by the concentration, he seemed to be a very good sketcher.”

“Sketch book…” Reid said absentmindedly. And then something clicked. The murders, why they were different, how to connect them. He ran to the whiteboard and started drawing what he remembered. The others stared at him.

“What’s going on? Why is everyone quiet?” Garcia asked.

“I think our boy wonder figured it out,” Morgan answered her as he stared at the hand moving rapidly by the board.

Garcia squealed, “Yay! That’s my genius!”

Reid stopped and stepped back, letting the others see what he had drawn.

“Those are the crime scene,” Hotch said.

Reid shook his head, “Yes and no. It’s not as detailed but these are the sketches I saw at the cybercafé the first victim went. The sketches are for a video game the manager was making. First stage, the hero need to save the girl from the prison at sea, second, the girl was locked in a cage of ice, and third…”

“Buried underground.”

Reid nodded.

“Oh, and not to mention he fits the profile very well,” Emily said as she holstered her gun.

Morgan and Rossi head to the unsub’s house while Hotch, Emily and Reid went to the cyber café. It was still early in the evening, thus, there were not many customers. It was easy to ask them to leave with three FBI credentials.

Hotch knocked on the office’s door, “Mr. Bennett, FBI. Open the door.”

It was a moment before the door opened and Mr. Bennett stood in front of them, smiling his charming smile, “Yes, anything I may help you with?”

“You need to come with us to the station to help with the investigation.”

Bennett chuckled humorlessly, “What? That’s funny.” He slammed the door closed, knocking Hotch and Emily who stood behind him. Reid, who managed to avoid falling to the ground, threw the door open again and went inside, just on time to see Bennett broke the glass window and jumped out. He ran after him.

Reid followed him for a whole block until Bennett ran into an alley. He took out his revolver an aimed, yelling, “Eric Bennett, stop right there!” A police appeared at the other end of the long alley and Bennett stopped, taking a few steps back. When he turned, Reid’s revolver was still trained on him.

Bennett chuckled again inching closer toward Reid, “Okay.” His eyes eyed the opened way behind the genius. “You know, I love them. I helped them.”

“Stop and don’t take another step!”

“I don’t have a weapon, agent, I’m not a threat. I’m just making it easier for you to cuff me,” Bennett balled his hands and placed them in front of him, offering Reid to put the handcuff on him.

Reid was wary, but he saw the police officers coming from the other side and so he holstered his revolver again. He took out his handcuff and Bennett stood right in front of him. He just locked the first cuff when Bennett pulled him and need him in the gut, causing Reid to cough.

Bennett tried passing him but then Reid quickly locked the other cuffs around his own wrist, tugging the unsub back.

“Oh you looking for a fight, skinny,” Bennett punched him again but Reid barely reacted except for his head turning to the side due to the reflex.

Reid wrapped his arms around Bennett’s waist and pushed him to the wall. With one hand pressing Bennett’s forearm to the wall, Reid used his right hand to punch him in the face. It did not hurt his hand the first time. So he threw the second one with much more force. Bennett avoided it and he hit the brick wall. Still, Reid felt nothing. Again he did it, stronger, this time hitting the unsub, and he heard his knuckles cracking.

His hand was slick and sticky due to his own blood coating them but he kept punching, not feeling his own hand hurting, until Hotch slid his arms around him and pulled him back while Emily unlocked the cuff around his wrist. Everything was in slow motion for Reid. His heartbeats were still erratic along with his breathing as he tried to subdue himself with Hotch’s arms as support for him to lean. Suddenly, he felt the tiredness and all he wanted to do was closed his eyes and sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed that! And I hope the case was good enough...

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you liked it!


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